Every Tues., Dec.-Mar. The assembled riders choose their own pace, distance, and destination. Also, riders can start at 11 a.m. from the gazebo in downtown Dexter (994-5908). Note: Riders should be prepared to take care of themselves on all AABTS rides. Carry a water bottle, a spare tire or tube, a pump, a cell phone, and snacks.
10 a.m., meet at Wheels in Motion, 3400 Washtenaw. Free. 545-0541. [map]

Meet and dance with the University of Michigan DanceTeam! U-Meet the Athlete gives children grades K-8 the opportunity to participate in sport clinics with University of Michigan varsity student-athletes. The goal is to have fun while stressing the importance of mastering sport-specific fundamentals, doing well in school, and living a healthy lifestyle. Participants will perform at the Women's Basketball game at 2:00pm. Please visit our website for more information and to download a registration form!
Central Campus Recreation Building, 401 Washtenaw Ave. $20. 734-764-1342. kidsport@umich.eduwww.kines.umich.edu/umove/u-meet-the-athlete [map]

Every Sun. All invited to a very relaxed pickup game of this spirited team sport played with a flying disc. Note: Overly competitive players are politely asked to leave.
11:15 a.m., Mitchell Field, Fuller Rd. Free. hac_ultimate@ameritech.net, 846-9418.

If you love classical music, you probably have a great deal of tacit knowledge about music, even if you have never played an instrument or learned to read musical notation. This course will enable you to access that knowledge by examining some of the fundamental aspects of aural experience, including memory and expectation, musical ambiguity, and feelings of tension and release. Although instructional materials will be provided for those who wish to progress further on their own, even those with no formal musical training and no knowledge of musical notation will enjoy this course. In a series of eight ninety-minute lectures, the course will use powerful and memorable musical events to generalize about musical grammar and logic, featuring works that are familiar to many classical music enthusiasts, such as Beethoven's "Emperor" Concerto and Chopin's "Revolutionary" Etude, all of them played live at the piano by the instructor, Professor Kevin Korsyn of the University of Michigan SMTD.
Stearns Building, 2005 Baits Drive. $160. 734-936-2660. smtd-youthandadult@umich.eduwww.music.umich.edu/adultprograms [map]

Every Sat. & Sun. and Jan. 2-4. Four different audiovisual planetarium shows. The Sky Tonight (11:30 a.m. Sat. & Jan. 2-4, 1:30 Sat. & Sun, & Jan. 2-4, & 3:30 p.m. Sat. & Sun.) is an exploration of the current night sky. Season of Light (2:30 p.m. Jan. 2-4) is an audiovisual show about various ancient and modern solstice celebrations, including Christmas and Hanukkah. Light Years from Andromeda (Sat. 12:30 & 2:30 p.m.) is an audiovisual show narrated by Star Trek actor Michael Dorn that shows the changes that occurred on Earth during the 2.8 million years it took a light beam to travel from Andromeda. Black Holes (Sun. 2:30 p.m.) is an animated show that begins with the formation of the early Universe and the birth and death of stars and concludes with a simulated flight to a supermassive black hole lurking at the center of the Milky Way. Note: There is a different planetarium show on MLK Day (see Jan. 21 listing).

Talk by Archives of Michigan archivist Jessica Miller. Followed by "Sharing Artifacts," a genealogical show & tell for which all are encouraged to bring and discuss something (or a photo of it) that has been handed down in your family.
1:30 p.m., St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Education Center auditorium, 5305 Elliott Dr. (off E. Huron River Dr. at Clark Rd.). Use parking lot P and look for the club's signs. Free. 483-2799. [map]

This nationally known sewing expert discusses her popular blog and her new book, Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing: A Modern Guide to Couture-Style Sewing Using Basic Vintage Techniques. Signing.
2-3:30 p.m., AADL multipurpose room, 343 S. Fifth Ave. Free. 327-4555. [map]

All invited to celebrate this ancient Celtic late winter festival of light and the earth's hidden fertility, which honors the hearth goddess Brid. Also, a potluck (bring a dish to pass) and a raffle.
2-5 p.m., Friends Meetinghouse, 1420 Hill. Free. 277-1897. [map]

Jan. 25-27. EMU theater instructor Meriah Sage directs a staged reading of EMU drama professor Patricia Zimmer's new drama, set in 1939 in a small town in southeast Missouri riven by racial and class hatreds, about 2 young girls who form a secret friendship.
7 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.) & 2 p.m. (Sun.), EMU Sponberg Theater, Ford St. (off Lowell from Huron River Dr.), Ypsilanti. Tickets $7 in advance and at the door. 487-2282.

Open auditions for kids ages 7 years old through high school will take place from 2:30-6:30 p.m. on Sunday, January 27 at the Saline Middle School Auditorium, 7190 N. Maple Rd. Saline. Auditions for adults will take place on Monday, January 28 at 7:00 or Tuesday, January 29 at 7:00 p.m at the same location. Callbacks, if needed, will be Thursday, January 31 at 7:00 at Liberty School Auditorium. Rehearsals will typically take place 6:30-9:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings, with an occasional Friday or Wednesday rehearsal. Rehearsals will begin February 11. The show will be performed at Saline High School April 19-21.Full audition information and character descriptions are listed on the website: www.salineareaplayers.org. Questions about auditions should be directed to the director, Tami Hindes at 517-902-9960 or tabi34@yahoo.comSaline Middle School Auditorium, 7190 N. Maple Rd., Saline. 517-902-9960. tabi34@yahoo.comwww.salineareaplayers.org [map]

Performance by the trio of Brigham Young University oboe professor Geralyn Giovanetti, University of Windsor piano professor emeritus David Palmer, and French horn player Denise Root Pierce, a former member of the Bogota Philharmonic and Lansing and Kalamazoo symphonies. The program includes the premiere of a new work by BUCC music director Geoff Stanton.
3 p.m., Bethlehem United Church of Christ, 423 S. Fourth Ave. Free. 996-5508. [map]

Every Sun. through Feb. 17. The Dreamland Puppet Troupe presents its new marionette show based on the Andrew Lang fairy tale about a prince who learns that while it's nice to be important, it's important to be nice.
3:30 p.m., Dreamland Theater, 26 N. Washington, Ypsilanti. $5 (kids age 3 & under, free). 657-2337. [map]

With a history that dates back to the 1890s, this band basically invented the modern mariachi, standardizing arrangements that had previously been learned by ear and adding trumpet to the traditional instrumentation of violins, harp, guitar, and the guitar-like vihuela and guitarron. Their repertoire blends traditional mariachi music with new, innovative pieces. Maestro Ruben Fuentes, the group's director and producer since 1950, has been credited with enriching mariachi's primitive qualities and diversifying its traditional styles and sounds, while the group's current musical director, Jose "Pepe" Martinez, is noted for his original arrangements that display a mastery of rhythm and spotlight each individual member.
4 p.m., Hill Auditorium. Tickets $10-46, in advance at ums.org & by phone, and (if available) at the door. 764-2538. [map]